Public Libraries Information Offer |
Introduction
What is the Public Libraries Information Offer?
This is an initiative by the Society of Chief Librarians, in partnership with Arts Council England, to further develop the role of public libraries and public library staff and volunteers in helping citizens access information online in a digital age.
Central Government is going 'digital by default'. All information is being published on the single website www.gov.uk recently launched in October 2012. Health information will continue to be separate through www.nhs.uk. The government will move to a 'digital by default' approach to its transactional services by 2015. Assisted Digital services will be put in place to help people who need support to use these online services.
The importance of your role and your public library in the national drive to provide access to information and services to your residents and users cannot be underestimated. Public Libraries already have an excellent track record in supporting people to build digital skills and have significant expertise in helping people to navigate and manipulate online information. Public Libraries have a network of over 43,000 public access PCs.
This puts you and your library at the heart of service delivery that is to be 'digital by default' by 2015.
In order to ensure that you are confident and able to play your part in this initiative, which will see an increasing amount of government services only accessible online, we need to invest in you. The first stage of this is to know how confident you already are, prior to seeing where any gaps may be.
To help us assess this we ask that you complete the following questionnaire. This will inform the development of a national training programme aiming to support you to signpost your customers to quality assured information and services.
You may wish to prepare ahead of completing the survey by looking at the new government website (www.gov.uk) and the key health website: NHS choices (www.nhs.uk).
Your responses to the questions and any additional comments will be non attributable.
This is an initiative by the Society of Chief Librarians, in partnership with Arts Council England, to further develop the role of public libraries and public library staff and volunteers in helping citizens access information online in a digital age.
Central Government is going 'digital by default'. All information is being published on the single website www.gov.uk recently launched in October 2012. Health information will continue to be separate through www.nhs.uk. The government will move to a 'digital by default' approach to its transactional services by 2015. Assisted Digital services will be put in place to help people who need support to use these online services.
The importance of your role and your public library in the national drive to provide access to information and services to your residents and users cannot be underestimated. Public Libraries already have an excellent track record in supporting people to build digital skills and have significant expertise in helping people to navigate and manipulate online information. Public Libraries have a network of over 43,000 public access PCs.
This puts you and your library at the heart of service delivery that is to be 'digital by default' by 2015.
In order to ensure that you are confident and able to play your part in this initiative, which will see an increasing amount of government services only accessible online, we need to invest in you. The first stage of this is to know how confident you already are, prior to seeing where any gaps may be.
To help us assess this we ask that you complete the following questionnaire. This will inform the development of a national training programme aiming to support you to signpost your customers to quality assured information and services.
You may wish to prepare ahead of completing the survey by looking at the new government website (www.gov.uk) and the key health website: NHS choices (www.nhs.uk).
Your responses to the questions and any additional comments will be non attributable.